


Somewhere Beyond the Sea

by OopsIAccidentally



Category: Original Work
Genre: AU, Gift, Multi, didn't know this was going to be multichapter, who knows my update schedule
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-08
Packaged: 2019-02-26 14:51:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13238058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OopsIAccidentally/pseuds/OopsIAccidentally
Summary: Christmas/Yule gift for my friend Rae. I hope you enjoy!





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kat_hale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kat_hale/gifts).



The day was perfect for an adventure. Ixchel had felt it in her gut the instant she opened her eyes that morning, the weak first rays of the sun peeking in through her window, and by god she knew she was going to make one happen.

At eight, she had hooked up her Doberman Pinscher, Sire, to a leash and went running on the beach of the island Avalon, just like any other day. With the large dog bounding behind her, she enjoyed the warm morning air and the buzz of the slowly awakening bugs.

By nine thirty she had gotten home and showered, preparing for her triweekly coffee date with her best friend since almost middle school, Jacques. On a whim she had decided to take Sire along, knowing he was too worn out to do anything but lay next to their table for at least a little.

It wasn't until almost ten in the morning (ten! How late for an adventure to show up!) that her adventure reared its head. It started after her and Jacques ate breakfast, with a small suggestion.

\-------

"Hey, do you want to go for a walk?" Jacques asks, with an almost mischievous look in his eye. "I overhead that strange things have been happening near the rocks at the end of the cove. Things like talking when there's no one else there and things like hair and scales washing up."

Ixchel shivers, shaking her head. "That sounds too much like ghosts. There's no way I'm going over there to see you or Sire be possessed." Jacques pouts idly, messing with his cup full of leftover ice cubes as he watches her turn the suggestion over in her head. It's not until she meets his eyes again that he perks up. "Are you really wanting to go...?"

"I mean, yeah, but I'm fine going by myself. If it makes you uncomfortable you don't have to come."

"And let you be extra possessed because you went into some cave and woke up some sort of demon? No way. I'll go with you, but--" She waits for his revelry to stop before continuing. " _But_ if anything happens we're leaving right away. Does that sound good?"

"Yup!" Jacques exclaims, standing up and laying out the payment for their meal on the table. "Let's go!"

"I pay next time." Ixchel states, reaching down to untie Sire's leash before standing up. The large dog follows suit, tail wagging as he senses her friend's excitement.

The three of them begin heading down the boardwalk, chatting as the street becomes more crowded while the city comes to life. It's not until the end of the boardwalk do they begin walking on the actual beach, Sire running free to go harass seagulls once they get away from the throngs of tourists visiting for the summer.

As they reach the cove the air turns cooler, it being hidden from the sun most of the day due to the high walls of natural clay. Sounds from outside are muted by the crash of waves against the large rock outcroppings, giving the area an air of restriction and hidden danger.

"What the..." Jacques' voice is quiet as he makes his way across the hard sand, kneeling to pick something shining gold out of a tide pool. Ixchel steps over, breath catching as she sees the thing he's tenderly holding.

It's a knife, made of refined gold and shaped into what could be taken as just a hairpin, should it be stuck into one's hair. One thing is embedded into the hilt, a small, round pink seashell. While it might have been once well taken care of, now the shell is cracked, pieces missing to reveal something else engraved into the actual gold. Some sort of leaf, with the initials _S. L. L_. in flowing text.

"What sort of matryoshka doll knife is this?" Jacques ponders, sitting back to hold it up against the light. But as his focus is taken by the strange weapon, Ixchel's gaze is pulled over to something that chills her to the bone.

"Jacques... We should leave..." She whispers, eyes locked onto the large, dark brown spot of stained sand. Blood. Hands shaking, she pulls on the back of her friend's shirt, following the large trail. It makes it's almost all the way to the end of the cove's sands before abruptly being pulled into the ocean, the sand disturbed, almost as if the person was struggling the entire time.

Whatever must have happened here, it was absolutely terrible.

The waves lull for a moment, and in that instant the two friends both hear a boy crying, somewhere among the rocks. Ixchel makes a sound in the back of her throat, resisting the urge to either scream or cry from fear. Jacques stands up, taking her hand to give her a reassuring smile before walking over to the tall rocks.

"Jacques, what are you doing?" She whispers, legs trembling as he begins to climb the rocks.

"Someone... could be hurt... and I... am going to go... help them." He grunts as he scales, never stopping until he reaches the top. He turns to look down at her, worry obvious in his eyes. "You don't have to come, but if whoever it is is really hurt I might need your help."

"I don’t-- Alright. I'm coming." Forcing herself to move, Ixchel basically climbs by sheer will alone.

By the time she's made to the top, however, Jacques has already jumped across to another rock, making his way carefully to peer around the far end. The sobbing becomes louder as she crawls her way across the slick rocks, only to stop the same moment Jacques jolts up, face pale with a shocked expression.

"Holy shit..." He whispers, facing Ixchel when she steadies herself against his shoulder. "I-- You have to see this." He looks over the edge again without an explanation, making Ixchel only sigh before peeking over herself, only to meet eyes with a merman.

The boy has bright blue eyes, which stare up at the two humans with fear and apprehension, and short hair that can't seem to pick between light brown or darker red. Instead of legs is a long tail, striped between orange, white and black. Long, seemingly floppy outgrowths are laid out against the small outcropping he's sitting on, some bleeding out into the frothing ocean below from long cuts or entirely severed sections. He's shirtless but with gold jewelry against his neck and on his arms, which are currently cradling the head of a second, unconscious mermaid.

This one has what seems to be the tail of an orca, mostly black with white sides dipping into the front. Long, rough lacerations cover from her waist to almost her flippers, blood sluggish as it leaks out onto the rough shelf and below. Her face is ashen, body limp as she seems to barely breath, clinging to life with determination.

Ixchel can't help it-- she sucks in a sharp breath at the state of these two. The tear tracks down the boy's make it obvious he was the one crying, no doubt for his dying friend, but he's in a rough state as well. Whatever happened here, these two must have been the victims, too weak to go back to wherever they came from after.

"We need to help them." She states, meeting Jacques' gaze. He nods, sitting back as she sheds her boots and socks. "You lower me down, I'll try to talk to the one that's awake."

The two friends clasp hands, and she swings her body into the open air, wincing as the sharp rocks scrape against her skin. Once her feet meet the uneven surface of the shelf she lets go of Jacques' hand, turning to face the two merpeople.

The boy glares at her, grip tightening on his friend. She slowly inches forward, hands raised and posture relaxed, as if she were approaching a stray dog. The instant she gets too close he hisses, baring fangs instead of teeth and fins she never noticed were behind his ears stick out. She scoots back, crouching so she wouldn't fall.

"Hello." She starts, watching as his eyes light up slightly in recognition. He seems to know English, at least-- that'll make things much easier. "My name is Ixchel. What's yours?"

The pause as he regards her before answering seems to drag on for an eternity. "...Loreto."

"It's nice to meet you."

"...You as well."

"My friend and I want to help you two. I won't ask what happened, but we need to patch up your wounds before you both bleed out. Would you let us help you?"

Loreto looks down at his friend's face, brow furrowed as he takes in her deathly pale complexion, before looking back up with a nod. "What do I need to do."

"We can't lift the both of you at the same time, so first we'll have to take your friend up and then you." She doesn't miss the way he tenses at the thought of being separated from the mermaid, and gives his a hesitant smile. "I'm sorry there's no other way."

"It can't be avoided, can it? She goes first, but if you and your friend do anything to hurt her, I swear you will live to regret it." Ixchel nods before scooting forward, only to be stopped by the boy's hand. "Don't touch my blood unless you want to be paralyzed."

"O-Oh, right." She moves back, realizing she had been about to step into a pool of his blood barefoot. Reaching out, she's handed the mermaid's arms. With the boy supporting her body, Ixchel carefully drags her forward until she can carry the girl bridal-style. She stands up, surprised to see Jacques already reaching down to lift the mermaid to the top of the rocks.

After a small struggle, the telltale orca tail disappears over the edge. Jacques disappears for a minute, popping his head over once he's returned. "I laid her out on the beach, Sire is watching out. Is the other guy ready to go?"

Ixchel turns to face Loreto, to find his arms held out and face turned away with what looks like a light blush. She bends down, supporting his back while carefully avoiding his tail's spines to fully pick him up. After some difficulty she manages to pass him off to Jacques, slightly hearing him mutter the same warning he gave her. Jacques disappears again, taking a bit longer before coming back over to throw his arm down.

Ixchel takes it immediately, pulling herself up once she gets a good grip. She grabs her shoes and socks before the two head back to the cove's beach without another word. Idly she notices both their shirts have gotten bloody through that whole endeavor, and she sighs when she thinks of how she's going to get home with a bloody shirt, equally bloody friend, and two wounded merpeople.

The sight that greets her as she jumps down to the sand is Loreto, baring his teeth and hissing ominously at Sire, who in turn has his hackles raised and a deep growl building in his throat. Ixchel runs forward, pulling Sire away by his collar in an effort to defuse the situation. Jacques follows a bit slower, going over to check the mermaid's pulse instead.

"That beast was about to eat her!" Loreto exclaims, the spines along his tail raising slightly. Ixchel forces the dog to sit before walking back over.

"Sire wouldn't harm your friend, Loreto. He was probably just curious." She says, walking carefully around the sharp spines to assess the damage done. On his main body are shallower wounds, whose bleeding has already stopped, as well as patches of lost scales with strange exposed flesh, looking to be infected. Ixchel can't help but worry her lower lip at the sight, mind racing as to how she can help with no medical knowledge on such wounds, or merpeople in general.

"Shit, Ixchel, we should hurry if we want this one to live." Jacques calls, sounding slightly panicked.

"Damn it... Okay, Jacques, you need to go get some medical supplies from town." Her friend incredulously gestured to his blood covered clothes. "Yes, I know, but you can go in your underwear and no one will judge you. If I go I'd be harassed for public nudity. Go, I'll stay here and make sure nothing happens."

Jacques hesitates for a split second before shedding his bloody shirt and sprinting out sight. Ixchel takes his shirt and begins ripping it into makeshift bandages, silently promising to replace it when things settled down. She acutely feels Loreto's gaze on her as she kneels down next to his unnamed friend, rinsing sand off of cloth before wrapping up the larger wounds as best she can. When she runs out she sits down next to the merman, facing the ocean.

"Can I ask what happened?" She says after minute of tense silence. Loreto jerks at the question, tail spines rising slightly.

"We were out, and something attacked us. It was going after me, but Sasha got in the way and took the brunt of the attack. It cornered us here, but couldn't get past the rocks. It had just given up when you and your friend arrived." He replies monotonously, giving the barest account possible.

"Her name is Sasha?"

Loreto doesn't answer, looking out to the ocean instead. The two sit, intensely aware of the dying mermaid laying next to them. It's not until pounding footsteps and gasping breaths come from around the corner do the two move, Ixchel standing up to meet Jacques while Loreto just sits up straighter.

"Sorry, I--" Jacques pauses, catching his breath before continuing. "I wasn't sure what we would need, so I went to both the convenience store and the pet store for stuff. Wait, what happened to my shirt--"

"No time for that. We have to stop her bleeding." Ixchel takes the plastic bags from Jacques, examining the contents. Gauze, antiseptic ointment, plastic gloves, a couple of bottles of water...

"Hello? Jacques? Ixchel?" A familiar voice echoes through the cove, unsure and laced with worry. A pit forms in Ixchel's stomach, mind blanking on how they could possibly hide two injured merpeople in only a few seconds when two more people join the "I-Know-About-Merpeople" party.

Dionysia freezes when she sees the event in front of her, Artaxerxes bumping into her back at her sudden stop. The two take in the sight, before Arta gives a deep sigh.

"Great, the past comes back once again." They mutter, looking miserable.


	2. Chapter 2

Several things happen only a moment after the two arrive: Ixchel freezes, mind going into overdrive as she tries to think of some way to get her two (basically) aunts to either help them or forget about the two merpeople lying bare in front of them. Jacques lets out a high-pitched dial tone-esque noise before casually standing in front of Sasha's body with an innocent grin, as if he could hide the girl’s body from sight. Loreto, despite his obvious distrust of newcomers and Ixchel and Jacques' most likely alarming reactions, only nods to the two with a somewhat wary gaze.

Artaxerxes returns the action, looking over his cuts and lost spines before tuning their gaze to Sasha, worrying their lip as they take in her wounds and deathly pallor. "You seem to be in need of some help... Might I?"

"If you would." Loreto responds, matching Arta's weirdly formal tone with a carefully blank expression and cold voice.

Ixchel watches without moving as they walk over and kneel down next to the merman, brow furrowed in concentration as they seem to run their index and middle fingers in strange swirling designs over his forehead and shoulders. He's turned away from her, so while she doesn't see what exactly is happening, she feels a strange heaviness settle over the cove. The air seems to thicken and grow colder, thrumming in a way that shakes her core while the ocean only grows louder and even more fierce.

"Aleksandra is too close to the other side for me to do this with her," Arta states as they stand up, taking a step back with hands spread out. "But I will do all I can to bring her back."

Ixchel jumps when she feels a hand on her shoulder, meeting Dionysia's soft gaze. She gestures for her and Jacques to follow, leading them out of the cove and away from the two merpeople. The strange, overbearing feeling lessens as the three lose sight of the hidden beach, and both Jacques and Ixchel let out a breath she never realized she was holding.

"What--" Jacques starts, stopping when Dionysia raises a hand without a word. She only smiles, sitting down on a sun-warm piece of driftwood and patting the spots on either side of her. And so the three humans wait. They wait as the sun begins to dip in the sky, questions burning their mouths and confusion only growing the longer they're forced to be patient.

It's not until Artaxerxes walks out of the cove looking tired and frustrated, once long white hair now cut close to their head, that they move. All three rise and run over, Jacques going past to check on those in the cove while Ixchel goes to question just what is going on.

"Arta, what--" Ixchel begins, only to stop when she notices how incredibly worn out they look. Dionysia lets them lean on her shoulder, wrapping her arm around their waist. "Should... this wait for a little longer?"

"If you wouldn't mind." They sigh, running a hand through their mysteriously short hair. "We should get those two somewhere safe before we talk. Your dad is gone on a business trip for a while, right? Would you mind if they stay at your house?"

"A-Are they in danger? What makes my home safe?"

"I'll give you all details later. They just have to have somewhere to recuperate, but Jacques has his whole family and our apartment doesn't have enough room to house two mers and ourselves."

"Um, sure? How will we get the two of them there though?" Ixchel's mind runs through the possibilities-- Avalon is such a small island that motorized vehicles aren't allowed, so there's no cars to drive. Whatever happened is keeping them out of the ocean, and the cove is too dangerous to try to bring a boat in. What else...

"We could always borrow some wheelbarrows." Dionysia pipes up, and Arta breaks into a weary grin at the suggestion.

"Well isn't that familiar. Sure, that seems good enough. Ixchel, could you try to find a wheelbarrow? We can put one in there, and Jacques can carry the other."

"O-Oh, sure? I use one to carry dirt for my greenhouse, I can run and grab it."

"Alright, but try to hurry. Nighttime isn't safe." Arta turns a dark gaze to the west, where the sun's last dying rays are turning the sky into a breathtaking purple to orange gradient.

Ixchel nods before sprinting towards her home, not stopping until she gets to her house’s front door. Sire is laying down on the welcoming mat and watching her with puppy-dog eyes, making her wince when she realizes she was so preoccupied she didn't pay any attention to her dog-- not even when they were just waiting. He must have wandered back home sometime earlier that day. She lets him in with a good but brief head rub and the promise that tomorrow she'll give him extra loves before focusing on the mission at hand.

After running around to her backyard, a large patch of grass that turns into a private beach, and a brief battle with the heavy lock on the greenhouse's door open, Ixchel grabs her wheelbarrow and begins to run back to the cove. The stars are fully out by the time she reaches Arta, who's sitting on the cooling sand and watching a firefly crawl over their hand.

They take the wheelbarrow without a word, disappearing into the cove as she catches her breath. Quiet voices get louder a few seconds later, becoming clear as Jacques and Dionysia walk out into the open. In Jacques' arms lay Sasha, limp and just as unresponsive as before. Long lengths of pure white hair-- _So that's what happened?_ , Ixchel can't help but ponder-- are tied around and tucked almost painfully into the largest wounds.

"We're going to go ahead, sweetie." Dionysia says, giving Ixchel a brief but comforting hug. "Stay with Arta, make sure they don't strain themself. We'll see you in a bit."

Ixchel waves them away before turning back to the cove, heading inside to help Arta and Loreto. Instead she walks on the two of them bickering.

"I am not crawling into that filthy, unstable thing!" Loreto huffs, glaring daggers at Arta, who only returns the look.

"Pri-- Loreto, you will get in the wheelbarrow and you will be happy that you're lucky enough to be given shelter somewhere safe!"

"Just because you almost died when you went away doesn't mean I have to be happy that we're taking a huge risk with this loud monstrosity." _Went away? What?_ "Why don't we just wait for Ixchel's friend to come back? He can carry me."

"Now is not the time to have a romance with a human, great shells Loreto! You two almost died, your father is going to tan your hide for running off now, and you're thinking of some boy? When did you become so irresponsible?"

"I never--" He begins, face flushing in a most suspicious manner, only to be cut off.

"You aren't as good an actor as me, Loreto. Keep your lies for the others. Now, either you get in the wheelbarrow, or I'm leaving you behind." The older states with an air of finality, their no-nonsense tone not giving the merman any choice in the matter. While he grumbles under his breath Arta looks directly at Ixchel, who was watching from around the corner. "You don't have to keep hiding, Ixchel."

She squeaks in surprise before walking into the open, ears burning. "Sorry I was listening in..."

"It's no problem. Now that we're all here and agreed," They shoot a look at Loreto, not letting his stubbornness be forgotten. "We should get going."

Loreto folds his arms when Ixchel struggles to set him in the wheelbarrow, muttering about the remnants of fertilizer at the bottom getting underneath his scales. The other two just ignore him (rather Ixchel tries to not encourage him by apologizing while Arta just looks doubly exhausted), and before long they're heading out of the cove and into the deserted streets. The merman was right about it being brutally loud-- the entire journey Ixchel was paranoid that someone would hear them, go to investigate and become another witness to the fact that merpeople are real.

It's not until they reach Ixchel's house that she begins to relax, Jacques swooping in to carry Loreto inside while she takes care of the wheelbarrow, which she just props onto the side of her house. Artaxerxes follows close to Jacques, looking intent on checking up with Sasha despite their obvious fatigue from whatever they did before.

When she walks into her house, she's first greeted by Sire, who almost knocks her over in his excitement over the new people in the house. Next is the sight of Dionysia, who's busied herself with making something to eat in the kitchen, pulling out what looks like all of the fridge's contents to add to some sort of soup pot. Finally Jacques, looking lost on where to put the red-faced merman in his arms.

"We put the other one in your bathtub, but where should we put Loreto?" He asks as she walks over.

"We have another tub upstairs, in the master bedroom. I'm going to go check on Arta, stay with him until I come by." Her friend nods, disappearing up the stairs with short breaths and a long tail slightly dragging behind him.

So, true to her word, Ixchel makes her way into the bathroom to find Arta perched delicately on the tile counter, cutting off long, long white hair that shouldn't have grown in the extremely short time they were alone with her father's razor. Sasha is laid down in the tub filled with water, as Jacques told her, arms draped across her stomach and hair pulled away from her face. Already she looks better, breathing a heavier and a more even, healthier pallor, and Ixchel's tempted to breath a little easier at that knowledge. But she can't, not yet.

"Arta... I don't know what you're doing, but you need to take a break. You look like you're about to pass out." She says in a low voice, walking over and taking the silver blade from her friend's shaking hand.

They try to shake their head, looking to Sasha. "I can't let her pass... I couldn't make Loreto lose her..." They mutter.

"She won't die, she looks much better already! But what if you work yourself to the bone? Are willing to make Dionysia worry because you pushed yourself so much?" Arta meets her imploring gaze before slumping forward with a groan. Ixchel steadies them with a relieved small smile. "You can rest in one of the rooms, if you want."

"...Alright." She helps them to their feet, knowing they can make their way to whatever bed they want on their own. Hopefully. They head upstairs as Ixchel makes her way into the kitchen, going to sit on a stool while Dionysia cooks whatever she's making.

"I fed Sire while you were out, by the way." Her aunt comments offhandedly, her regular cheerfulness and pep still intact after the day's events.

"O-Oh, thank you. What are you making?"

"One of Arta's favorite dishes-- and sorry for the mess, once it's done I'll clean up. Do you know where said person is, perchance?"

"I sent them upstairs to get some sleep. They were cutting their hair again when I came in, but it was weird. Even though they cut their hair short earlier, it was it's regular length again." Dionysia stills for split second before resuming her work, fluffy black hair obscuring her face from view. "Dio... I know you know something about what's going on. You didn't seem at all surprised about seeing merpeople, and you pulled me and Jacques away when Arta was doing something that didn't make any sense."

After a minute of silence Dionysia sighs, pulling the soup pot off the heat and turning to face Ixchel. "I'm not sure it's my place to tell you. Arta has a more complete story..."

"But you know how good they are at avoiding answering questions they don't want to answer. Please."

"...Okay, but only because I love you so much." Dionysia winks, and the two laugh. "Go find your friend and go to the living room, I'm almost done in here. Then I’ll answer whatever questions I can."

"Thank you, Dio." Ixchel leaves without another word, heading upstairs to find the two boys.

She finds them, expectantly, in the master bedroom's bathroom. What she doesn't expect to see is the TV from the bedroom on the counter, one of her father's game consoles on the floor, and the two racing each other in a game of MarioKart. Jacques cries in anguish as Loreto wins first place with a cheeky grin, laughing at Jacques' over-the-top reaction to getting 3rd.

She clears her throat, and the other two jump almost in sync at the sound. "Hey, sorry I took so long."

"It's no problem!" Jacques waves her apology off, while Loreto just gives her a thumbs up. "This guy is crazy good at racing games. It doesn't even make that much sense, they don't have electricity in the ocean!"

"Maybe I'm not good at them and you just suck." The merman replies, tone jovial. "But anyway, how are things downstairs?" _How is Sasha?_

"Pretty good. Dionysia is making some sort of soup, Arta is resting because they almost passed out from... whatever they were doing. Sasha is still unconscious, but she's looking much better! Less like she's dying, more like she's sleeping."

Loreto slumps in relief, face disappearing behind the tub's rim as he sinks into the water. "Oh, thank the Mother..."

"Jacques, Dionysia wanted to talk to us." Her friend meets her gaze before nodding, untangling himself from the remote and standing up.

"Are you going somewhere?" Loreto asks, face popping back into view with a curious expression.

"Dionysia is going to explain some things to us, but we'll only be downstairs. If you need something, just yell."

"Okay, I'll play some more while you're gone." He picks up the controller as the two humans leave, closing the door behind them.

"I sure hope you didn't just get a merman addicted to video games."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, the initial awe will wear off eventually." Jacques laughs softly as the two make their way back down the dark stairwell. "What exactly is Dionysia going to talk to us about?"

"Why she and Artaxerxes weren't at all surprised to see those two, what Arta was doing with their hair. That sort of thing."

"Right, gotcha."

The two make their way into the living room. Jacques lays out over one of the couches, face buried in a pillow, while Ixchel takes the love seat right next to Sire's bed. She begins playing with her pup while Jacques pulls out his phone, wincing at something.

"Hey, can I spend the night here? My mom is super worried about me being out this late without answering her texts."

"Eh, why not. It looks like Arta and Dionysia are staying, so why not make it a party."

"Sounds like the only party I'd want to go to." Ixchel grins, fighting against her dog in a fierce battle of tug of war. It's not until a few minutes later that Dionysia walks into the living room, precariously carrying three bowl of steaming soup.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" She sets them all down on the coffee table, along with a loaf of bread with a knife stuck in. "But my mother always said that serious discussions should always be held over food."

"You saw this coming?" Jacques asks, only getting a smile from her aunt instead of a straight answer.

"Now, get settled and we can begin." The other two sit down at the table, Jacques digging in after a quick thanks. Ixchel waits for the bread before beginning, dipping it into the red broth while Dionysia waits for their questions.

"So... What's with the hair?" Jacques starts.

"I don't know the specifics, but it is some form of healing magic only Arta can do."

"How do they even know magic?"

"Well, it’s quite a story... They were once a very powerful mer. They worked as a servant to what is basically the king, a healer in times of fear, and... a cannon, in times of war. They're immortal, basically the ultimate trophy for any mer kingdom. But they grew tired of being traded and owned like an object, and attempted to run away. The king fought to keep them, as you would expect.

"But one day they found a spell to give them human legs, the ability to live on land. So they went to an island, where they had made friends with a girl during one of their earlier escape attempts, and became human. The two, in love but unable to get married because they weren't even supposed to be living on land, took up a life on the island. There they live to this day."

"That girl was you?" Ixchel's mind racing at this revelation, begins to think back to all the things she never noticed. How suddenly Arta was just accepted into the community, although no one had ever seen them before. How they never seemed to age, even as Ixchel had grown into the young woman she is today. How they always refused to swim in the ocean, always adamant that nothing good lives in the ocean.

Dionysia just smiles again, bringing the bowl to her lips to drink the broth instead of answering.

"If Arta never liked it in the ocean, why do you still live on an island? Why don't you guys go as far away from it as you can?"

"Again, I don't know the specifics, but they're cursed to the sea for some reason. They never brought up why, what happened, but sometimes... They seem haunted by it. Don't either of you go asking about it though. They don't deserve to have to recount what happened because you're curious."

Jacques salutes in acknowledgment while Ixchel only nods. "So... why does it seem like Arta knows Loreto and Sasha? Before they went to rest, they said something like, 'I can't make Loreto lose her'."

"That is weird... That's something you'll have to ask one of them yourself. They never mentioned either of them, since they were typically kept away from anyone outside of the royal family."

The three sit in silence, two teens brewing over all the information they were just given while Dionysia just enjoys her soup. It's not until Jacques finishes that there's movement, him getting up and collecting his dishes.

"I'm going to go check in on Loreto, get him some food." He announces. "Should I bring some for Artaxerxes too?"

"No, let them rest. If they get hungry they can come get some themself. It's better to just leave them be." Jacques leaves them there, bringing three down to two.

"I... Someone should probably check on Sasha, huh?"

"That would probably be for the best. Someone staying by her side until Arta recovers would be even better, I'd suspect." Dionysia gives her a happy smile.

"I guess I'll do it." Ixchel grimaces at the thought of sleeping on the tile floor. "It'll just be for a couple hours, after all."

"We could take shifts."

"Yeah, but you should probably go check on Arta. I'm not entirely sure they were able to make it to a bed before falling asleep, honestly."

Dionysia winces. "They wore themself out that much?"

"Yeah... They made it up the stairs, at least. They were just so exhausted."

"Oh my... Well, I suppose I'll do that. But if you need a break, absolutely feel free to ask me, no matter what time it is." Ixchel's aunt stands up, collecting her dishes before heading into the kitchen. She hears light footsteps ascend to the second floor, waiting until they stop before moving on her own.

She first goes searching for a sleeping bag, finding one long forgotten in a hallway closet. After tracking down a pillow and a few other necessities from upstairs she begins to set up her makeshift camp in the bathroom, right next to the tub in case Sasha wakes up.

Ixchel doesn't fall asleep for what feels like a few hours after turning out the lights, mind reviewing at how chaotic the past day was, and what'll happen in days to come.

 _'I suppose we'll have to wait and see..._ ' She thinks before drifting off into a light sleep.


End file.
